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The Forgotten Warrior/Chapter 25
Chapter description :Dovewing awakes from a night's rest in the apprentices' den, noting how cold it's become. She realizes that her senses have woken her, and concentrates them to WindClan. Sol's voice is the first thing she hears, along with murmuring voices of a large group of cats. She hears Sol telling the WindClan cats to follow him, stating that the ThunderClan cats will still be asleep. :Dovewing scrambles out of her den and goes straight to Firestar's. She rouses him from sleep, warning him of the oncoming WindClan attack. Her leader awakes immediately, alert in an instant, and slips onto the Highledge to wake the Clan. He raises alarm that WindClan is attacking, yowling it to the entire camp. :Firestar then runs into the clearing, noting how the moon has set, but she can still see faint StarClan warriors in the sky. She lingers for a moment, before following her leader into the clearing. She sees warriors beginning to emerge from their dens: Daisy, who appears at the entrance to the nursery, before vanishing back inside, and Jayfeather, who pokes his head out of the medicine den. :Dovewing dashes back to her own den, meeting her sister, Ivypool, at the entrance. She notes Ivypool's ragged appearance, messy fur and a pained look in her eyes, immediately asking her sister if she is okay, and if something happened in the Dark Forest that night. Ivypool dismisses her quickly, pointing out that she is a warrior there, and she has to train the others. She insists that she is fine, and can still fight. :Hollyleaf follows her out of the den, prepared to fight. She runs into the middle of the clearing to join Firestar and Brambleclaw. Firestar announces that they will meet the WindClan cats in the tunnels, as the cats gather around him. He says that they will not let a WindClan cat set foot in their territory, then points out that the attacking cats have not trained to fight in the tunnels. He concludes by alerting the Clan of ThunderClan's obvious advantage. :Every cat is awake, ready to defend the Clan. Dovewing spots Brightheart and Foxleap running through new battle moves, while the new apprentices bounce up and down excitedly. She is still listening to the approaching WindClan warriors, but suddenly, the noise cuts off, and the image fades to nothing. She tells Firestar that they must hurry. She receives several surprised glances, knowing that the Clan knows nothing about her powers. :Hollyleaf comes over to her, saying that Lionblaze told her of Dovewing's powers. Dovewing affirms the older she-cat, realizing that it must be difficult for Hollyleaf not to have a part in the prophecy with her littermates. However, Hollyleaf twitches her tail and asks what WindClan is doing currently. Dovewing tells her that they've entered the tunnels, and answers Hollyleaf's next question – all the WindClan cats are in the same tunnel. She then informs Hollyleaf of the cats' enter into the cavern, and into another tunnel. :Hollyleaf says that she can probably work out where they are, and where they are likely to head, before turning to Firestar, Brambleclaw, and Lionblaze. She tells them that the Clan will split into three – one patrol will enter the tunnel above camp, the second will take the tunnel near the old Twoleg nest, and the third will go by the lake. She points out that their aim is to push the WindClan cats into the cavern with the river, because there will be more room to fight. :Brambleclaw gives her a nod, and begins to divide the warriors into patrols. He says that he'll lead one, Hollyleaf another, and Brackenfur can take the third. Cherrypaw and Molepaw object, stating that they have not been chosen for a patrol, and that they want to fight. Firestar interjects, saying that they are in his patrol, and are going to stay in the hollow to defend the elders and the nursery, if WindClan manages to break through. The apprentices glance at each other, and Dovewing is uncertain if they are disappointed that they are not fighting, or pleased to be chosen for a Clan leader's patrol. Daisy walks up with Ferncloud, saying they'll fight and defend Sorreltail and her kits. :Purdy walks over from the elders' den and informs Firestar he'll fight too, saying he's clawed more cats than they've eaten mice. He starts to launch into a story, but Firestar cuts him off before he can. As the tunnel patrols begin to set off for the tunnels, Cinderheart appears and announces that she'll fight with Hollyleaf. Dovewing hears this and becomes interested, while other cats mutter comments at Cinderheart's announcement. :Hollyleaf leads Dovewing, Ivypool, Sandstorm, Mousewhisker, and Berrynose to the tunnel entrance. She murmurs to Dovewing to follow her in, as she is needed to keep tabs on WindClan. The black she-cat then asks Sandstorm to bring up the rear, and to alert her of any danger from behind. The gray she-cat follows Hollyleaf in, and bursts out that the WindClan cats are running really fast. Hollyleaf asks her where, but Dovewing says they're not here yet. She says they've come across a tunnel Dustpelt and Brackenfur blocked off, then they're turning around, and now they are coming for the ThunderClan cats. Besides the WindClan cats, she can hear the other ThunderClan tunnel patrols, and she can barely distinguish the voices from one another. :Suddenly WindClan scent grows stronger, and Dovewing barely has time to gasp that they're here, before a group of WindClan cats burst out. The WindClan cats yowl in shock, not knowing what to do. Hollyleaf and Dovewing lash out against their attackers, and at first it is easy to push the invaders back; however, the invaders start to fight back. The gray she-cat feels claws at her shoulder, and she lunges forward to sink her teeth into her opponent's throat. The opponent rears back, then there is a dull thump and a shriek, and Dovewing realizes her opponent had bumped their head on the tunnel roof. She hisses that they should've trained, and Hollyleaf orders her to get back, so fresh cats can come through. :She flattens herself against the tunnel walls so that Sandstorm, Berrynose, Mousewhisker, and Ivypool are able to fight off the WindClan attackers. They force the cats back to the cavern with the river, and soon light filters in. Dovewing is able to identify their attackers. Breezepelt is leading them, and the other cats in the patrol are Whiskernose, Weaselfur, and Harespring. Heathertail and Furzepelt are at the rear. They back away into the cavern, and the ThunderClan warriors chase after them. The WindClan cats glare at their opponents, many of them bearing ThunderClan claw marks. They were expecting to launch an attack on an unsuspecting ThunderClan, but they were greeted with a nasty surprise. :Hollyleaf steps forward, and glares at the assembled WindClan warriors. She meows for them to end the attack, as they cannot win. Breezepelt hisses that they are mange-pelts, and that they tormented Sol. Dovewing retorts that they did no such thing, as it was the wishes of their Clan leader to have him off. She reminds him that they invited Sol in. Heathertail adds that Jayfeather murdered Flametail, and that ThunderClan has been crossing borders and stealing prey. Whiskernose agrees, saying that ThunderClan thinks they're so much better just because WindClan owed them a favor before they came to the lake. Sandstorm challenges the younger cat, asking how he knows about that, because he wasn't even kitted then. Dovewing is shocked at the hostility from all the cats, even the youngest ones. She thinks it's not fair, because they won't listen to their defenses. :Breezepelt suddenly launches himself at her. Dovewing is taken by surprise, and hits the ground, but before Breezepelt can pin her, she rolls away, then makes a sharp blow on his shoulder. She taunts him, saying he'll have to be faster. The black tom snarls and launches at her, trying to force her against the tunnel wall. Dovewing remembers her training and lets the WindClan tom think he's won, then leaps over him. Breezepelt's surprised look makes her feel hot with satisfaction. All around, cats are now fighting. Cinderheart and Heathertail bowl into her as they roll around, making her lose her footing. As she tries to regain it, Breezepelt pins her down. She tries to dislodge him, but nothing she can do makes him let go. Despairingly, Dovewing thinks that she can't die under the tom's claws. However, the weight of Breezepelt vanishes and Dovewing sees that her sister had grabbed his scruff, and is now shaking him. :She lets go, and while he's still groggy, she sweeps his paws out from underneath him, and deals him some hard blows before he gets to his paws and flees. Dovewing thanks Ivypool, and the silver-and-white she-cat replies before flinging herself into battle. Now the gray she-cat realizes that the sounds of battle she heard are all around her now. Other patrols are now inside the cavern, filling it with shrieks and caterwauls. Everywhere in the cavern is a mess of writhing, thrashing, and wailing cats. Ivypool reappears for a brief moment, saying she has no sign of Onestar. Dovewing comments that she can't see Ashfoot either, because this is only the part of WindClan that Sol managed to trick. :She throws herself into the heat of battle, lashing out at any cat who dares face her. Unfortunately, she forgets to keep her movement small and tight, and her paws ache from banging against the cavern walls. Dovewing leaps onto a brown tabby's back, and is surprised to see Dustpelt's glaring face. He tells her to get off, saying they've got enough trouble with WindClan. Hollyleaf's voice rings out, yowling for ThunderClan to force the intruders into the tunnels. The gray she-cat charges into Owlwhisker, trying to force him back into the tunnels. He tries to fight back, but eventually he turns and limps away into the tunnels. Other WindClan warriors are now turning and fleeing, with ThunderClan cats yowling in triumph as they chase them off. However, a voice towers above the others, saying for WindClan to fight, as they have no bigger enemy than ThunderClan. :Dovewing whips around to see Sol standing in front of the biggest entrance to the tunnels. Defeated cats are stumbling past him, as he tries to get them to fight. Hollyleaf launches himself at him, calling him a traitor and a liar. Sol turns and runs away, while Hollyleaf runs after him. Dovewing runs after her, because the black she-cat is smaller and lighter than Sol is. She forces herself to run out the cavern, and into a tunnel. After she catches up, she sees that Hollyleaf has trapped the rogue in a dead-end tunnel. :As Hollyleaf and Sol prepare to fight, Dovewing can see that Hollyleaf is scratched all over, with tufts of fur missing from her hindquarters. Sol, however, barely has his fur ruffled. The gray she-cat comes to the conclusion that Sol's been hiding, and not fighting at all. Hollyleaf growls at Sol to leave the Clans alone, as he's hurt them enough. Sol retorts he never will back down, not until he's destroyed everything the Clans stand for. He then tells about his time living with another Clan, in a gorge. They told him he couldn't be one of their warriors, so the tortoiseshell vowed to prove that the warrior code means nothing. He claims the Clans will all kill each other for reasons that don't even matter. :The black she-cat hisses that he is wrong, because the warrior code is always worth fighting and dying for. She leaps on to him with a yowl of fury, and Sol fights back, trying to overwhelm her with his weight. Shocked, Dovewing realizes that Sol isn't a fighter, and that he doesn't have any warrior skills. She had been prepared to come to her Clanmate's aid, but now she doesn't have to, as Hollyleaf is dodging all of Sol's blows, while he's just flailing and swiping at shadows. :At last, Hollyleaf manages to knock Sol off his feet, then pins him down. She tells him that she would gladly kill, but that the warrior code demands that she show mercy. She will let him go, if he promises to never show his face around the Clans again. Sol hisses that he cannot make that promise, and Hollyleaf replies that she will be ready to kill him if he threatens the Clans again. He retorts that he'll be ready, then slips past the two she-cats and into darkness. Dovewing asks why the she-cat let her go, because she could've killed him. Hollyleaf, exhausted, replies that they need to let the warrior code rule their hearts; the death of a warrior does not mean victory. :Dovewing thinks about the upcoming battle, the battle with the Dark Forest. This is a battle that cannot be won by a single Clan fighting, but rather, by having all four Clans join together to fight. Just because the warrior has special senses does not mean she isn't tired and hungry. The gray she-cat needs to discuss this with Lionblaze and Jayfeather. She turns to Hollyleaf and meows to her that they should go home. Characters Major *Hollyleaf }} Minor *Firestar *Daisy *Jayfeather *Ivypool *Brambleclaw *Brightheart *Foxleap *Lionblaze *Brackenfur *Cherrypaw *Molepaw *Ferncloud *Purdy *Cinderheart *Sandstorm *Mousewhisker *Berrynose *Dustpelt *Breezepelt *Whiskernose *Weaselfur *Harespring *Heathertail *Furzepelt *Owlwhisker }} Mentioned *Seedkit (Unnamed) *Lilykit (Unnamed) *Flametail *Onestar *Ashfoot }} Mistakes *Weaselfur is mistakenly called Weaselfoot. Notes and references Category:Omen of the Stars arc Category:Chapter subpages Category:The Forgotten Warrior